Open Season: What will Robertson's comments mean for future of Duck Dynasty?

Phil Robertson, patriarch of Duck Dynasty's Robertson Family made national headlines this week when he was put on permanent hiatus from the popular reality TV show because of controversial comments he made in an interview in GQ Magazine.

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By MARC FOLCO

southcoasttoday.com

By MARC FOLCO

Posted Dec. 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By MARC FOLCO
Posted Dec. 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

Phil Robertson, patriarch of Duck Dynasty's Robertson Family made national headlines this week when he was put on permanent hiatus from the popular reality TV show because of controversial comments he made in an interview in GQ Magazine.

The comments that caused the A&E Network to give Robertson the boot, referred to gays and lesbians when he said, with some quotes from the Bible, "Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."

The comments, of course, have drawn fire from gay and lesbian advocacy groups and have also drawn both praise and criticism from TV viewers. Some have praised the Louisiana duck hunter for speaking his mind, citing the First Amendment, which guarantees Freedom of Speech. Others are criticizing him for being a "hater."

Either way, Robertson's fire and brimstone, backwoods preacher-man type rant, which would have been better if filmed while juggling live, ornery rattlesnakes and drinking arsenic out of a mason jar, cost him his spot on one of the most watched and talked about shows.

A&E released a statement on Wednesday explaining Robertson's suspension, saying, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty. His personal views in no way reflect those of A&E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely."

Besides being in a hit TV series, the Robertsons have their faces on just about everything, raking in more money, adding to their multi-million dollar empire, built on manufacturing Duck Commander duck calls and other products for hunters. I hear some Wal-Marts even have an entire aisle devoted to Duck Dynasty crap. But Robertson may have just put a dent in the family's Megabucks income.

Personally, I don't watch the show. I've caught bits and pieces of it, which was enough for me. I think reality shows just plain stink. I can't watch them without pinching my nose shut with a clothes pin, even if there is smattering of duck hunting footage in them. Following people around with cameras while they're arguing over how to fix the air conditioning in the duck call warehouse, or while the chubby guy can't button a suit he wore 20 years ago, just isn't my thing. But I'm in the minority. What do I know?

According to Friday's Outdoor Hub, The Washington Post reported that Duck Dynasty will premiere its fifth season on January 15 on A&E. Previously-recorded scenes with Phil Robertson will still be aired. Over 12 million viewers tuned in for the first episode of the show's fourth season, making the premiere the most watched nonfiction telecast ever in cable history.

The future of Duck Dynasty however, hangs in the balance, which could disappoint millions of hunting and non-hunting fans. A statement released this week by the Roberston family on duckcommander.com, said "¦ "While some of Phil's unfiltered comments to the reporter were coarse, his beliefs are grounded in the teachings of the Bible. Phil is a Godly man who follows what the Bible says are the greatest commandments: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart' and 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Phil would never incite or encourage hate. We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of Duck Dynasty."

GUN CONTROL OPINIONS

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) based in Newtown, Conn., announced this week that some 63 percent of Americans do not believe that tighter restrictions on purchasing and owning firearms would be effective in reducing crime, according to a new Reason-Rupe poll. Only 32 percent of poll respondents said stricter regulations would be effective in preventing criminals from obtaining guns.

The same polling organization found that when asked to select the most important factor that may have prevented the tragic shooting in Newtown, some 27 percent of respondents told the Reason-Rupe poll that better mental-health treatment is the most important factor in preventing such tragedies. Twenty-two percent said better parenting is most critical and 20 percent said having armed personnel on site would have been the most likely way to prevent the tragedy. The fourth most preferred approach was stricter gun-control laws, selected by only 16 percent of respondents.

BOUNTY ON COYOTES

Coyotes are becoming an increasingly irritable burr under the hide of many as they decimate deer numbers and other wildlife populations, including killing domestic pets. So much so that Pennsylvania is proposing to go the old route of setting a bounty on them, like in the old days.

According to the Outdoor Hub report last week, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives gave its approval to a bill that would allow the state Game Commission to set bounties on coyotes. If signed into law, it would be the first Pennsylvania bounty on any wild animal in over 50 years and hopefully would give some hunters an extra incentive to hunt coyotes.

Over the last 30 years, coyote population growth in the state has far outpaced that of black bears, bobcats, and otters. Hunters are able to hunt the predators year-round with minimal limits. The proposed bounty will award any hunter or furtaker $25 for each coyote harvested.

A total of 40,000 coyotes were taken by sportsmen in the state last year, nearly double the amount of animals harvested a decade ago.

In Massachusetts, the coyote hunting season opened Oct. 19 and will run through March 8. The season is not open year-round in this state but there are no daily or seasonal bag limits on coyotes while the season is open. You can shoot as many as you can. There is no bounty on them in Massachusetts. Coyotes taken by hunters and trappers must be checked-in within four days of the end of the season. They now can be easily checked online, where you'll be given a confirmation number to write on a tag of your own making and affix it to the pelt. Or you can still do it the old fashioned way and take them to a check station to be sealed.

The Outdoor Hub also reported last week, that a new world record for Alaska-Yukon moose has been recorded by the Boone and Crockett Club, one of the official record-keeping organizations for big game in North America.

On Sept. 25, Heinz Naef of Dawson City, Canada, bagged a moose that has been scored at 263-1/8 net at the meeting of the Stewart and Yukon rivers that can be only described as enormous. Even after a lifetime of hunting moose, Naef said that the animal gave him a shock that day.

Naef dispatched the animal at 35 yards with an old rifle chambered in .303 and netted about 1,250 pounds of moose meat. It was not until later that Naef, a subsistence hunter, thought about submitting the antlers for a record.

Boone and Crockett measurer Clint Walker and his team judged the rack at 1 ½ inches larger than the current world record score of 261 5/8, but Naef will have to bring the antlers for a panel scoring in Reno, Nev., for final verification.

And a Merry Christmas to all my readers!

Marc Folco is the outdoor writer for The Standard-Times. Contact him at openseason1988@aol.com or through OpenSeasonSpecialties.com